Myasthenia Gravis

What is myasthenia gravis?

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronicautoimmune disease that affects skeletal muscle strength by impeding the communication between nerves and muscles. MG is typically first noticed when it causes weakness in eye muscles and symptoms such as a drooping eyelid and/or double vision. This is often referred to as ocular MG. From the eye muscles, it can spread over time to facial and neck muscles, causing weakness, slurred speech, difficulty chewing and swallowing, and/or difficulty breathing, and from the head and neck to other parts of the body, resulting in generalized MG. Muscle weakness will vary over time; it tends to worsen with sustained effort and improves with rest.

Body movements, including those as small as keeping the head upright and eyes open, are normally carried out by a coordinated series of muscle contractions. These muscle contractions are initiated by chemical nerve signals. On a microscopic level, a nerve impulse travels to a nerve ending and acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, is released. This chemical travels from the nerve ending to a muscle fiber across a tiny gap that exists at the "neuromuscular junction" and it binds to one of many acetylcholine receptors on the muscle fiber. This binding activates the receptor and initiates muscle contraction.

In the United States, MG is estimated to affect about 5 to 20 people in 100,000. Anyone can develop MG, but it is most frequently diagnosed in men over 60 years of age and in adult women younger than 40. During pregnancy, a woman with MG may pass acetylcholine receptor antibodies to her fetus. This can cause a newborn to have symptoms of MG, but the symptoms typically resolve within 2-3 months of birth.

The cause of MG is not known, but about 75% of those affected have an abnormally large thymus gland and some develop thymomas (generally benign tumors of the thymus). The thymus is a small gland located behind the upper breastbone. It plays an active role in the immune system through young adulthood, but normally begins to shrink after puberty and is less active in adults. The relationship between MG and the thymus is not fully understood, but some think that the thymus plays an indirect role in triggering acetylcholine receptor antibody production.

A small percentage of those with MG have an affected family member, but most do not. Congenital myasthenic syndrome is an inherited condition that causes symptoms similar to MG, but it is not an autoimmune disorder. Another condition, Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome, can also cause similar symptoms, but it involves interference with the release of acetylcholine by the nerve ending, not acetylcholine receptor activity.

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This article was last reviewed on May 20, 2016. | This article was last modified on May 20, 2016.

The review date indicates when the article was last reviewed from beginning to end to ensure that it reflects the most current science. A review may not require any modifications to the article, so the two dates may not always agree.

The modified date indicates that one or more changes were made to the article. Such changes may or may not result from a full review of the article, so the two dates may not always agree.